News

Forth Hope ....... is now at anchor some 8 miles from the Amazon City of Iquitos where we will be arriving at 6.30am later this morning 7th September.

We will have covered just under 6800 miles in 42 days. (40 at sea). Already plans are being made for the ships deployment and a high level visit to see the vessel at work in just over a weeks time from various Government Ministers, the Vice President of Peru and our Patron HRH The Princess Royal.

Last night at midnight we passed Amazon Hope 2 which was moored in quiet stillness at a community further down the river with barely a light, no doubt asleep ahead of a busy day at work.

Vine Trust’s new medical ship, Forth Hope, set sail from Babcock’s Rosyth site in Scotland on the morning of Wednesday 26th July, beginning an epic 6,600 mile transatlantic delivery voyage to the Amazonian city of Iquitos, Peru.

Fresh from its recent outfitting, undertaken by Babcock with the support of 30 marine businesses, Forth Hope and its crew got underway early on Wednesday morning, making their way under the River Forth’s 3 iconic bridges – The Forth Rail Bridge, The Forth Road Bridge, and the new Queensferry Crossing. The plan is for the ship to initially sail south towards Las Palmas, before turning west and heading for Macapa in Brazil, and finally sailing up the mighty Amazon River to Iquitos.

Once in operation on the Peruvian Amazon, Forth Hope will become a floating primary healthcare centre, providing 2 million dental and medical consultations over the next 20 years. Complete with a fully-equipped dental surgery, operating theatre, pharmacy and consultation rooms, Forth Hope will enable Vine Trust volunteers and our in-country clinical teams to bring primary healthcare to some of the region’s most remote and vulnerable communities. This new ship will hold roughly 100,000 consultations each year, enabling the Amazon Hope Medical Programme to double the number of patients it is currently able to receive.

Throughout Forth Hope's voyage we hope to be able to share regular updates and posts from the crew about the journey and life on board - so keep an eye out on our Facebook page and website Blogs. You can also track Forth Hope's progress around the world (while it's within range) on MarineTraffic and VesselFinder.

You can be part of Forth Hope's life-changing work! Sponsor a mile of our voyage by texting "VTFH17 £5" to 70070 to give £5, or donate to our #FloatTheBoat crowdfunding campaign here!